Your quest to find the legend of King Arthur
The South West Wales landscape is etched in Arthurian legend, from the tip of the Pembrokeshire coastline to the towns and hills of Carmarthenshire and the expanse of the Gower Peninsula. Yet was King Arthur a mighty monarch or is he mere myth? The only way to truly discover is to come to the sites that hold the legends and feel for yourself this magical presence in this inspirational region.
Visit the place where King Arthur still sleeps
The Mabinogion is an ancient collection of legends and folk tales, a masterpiece of medieval literature. One of the many tales therein explains how King Arthur and his knights chased and defeated a huge wild boar, yTwrch Trwyth, over the Preseli Hills where it had landed after ravaging Ireland.
Come here and you’ll find a group of stones called Cerrig Marchogion, which translates as the Knights’ Stones. Some say that this is where King Arthur is actually buried though many believe that the King and his men are sleeping in a cave at Craig-y-Ddinas, north east of Neath, where one day they will wake again to defend their country.
The rugged geography of the Preseli Hills has produced large rocks called Spotted Dolerite or ‘Bluestones’ reputed to be used by Merlin in the construction of Camelot’s Round Table. They were also commonly believed to have been used to form Stonehenge, 150 miles away.
Discover the majesty of Arthur's stone
On the Gower Peninslua stands a solitary rock known as Arthur’s Stone (capstone to a Neolithic burial chamber). Legend has it that this stone came from the boot of King Arthur who, whilst walking through Carmarthenshire, threw a pebble from his boot across the estuary which, during flight, assumed magical proportions landing on the hillside opposite at Cefn Bryn.
The views from here in this, the UK’s first area designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are spectacular.
Be bewitched at the birthplace of a sorcerer
Merlin, the sorcerer and King Arthur’s guardian, was reputedly born in Carmarthen (in Welsh, Caerfyrddin) meaning Merlin’s Fort or Town. The town has many links to Merlin and his prophesies. The most famous concerns the Priory Oak Tree which once stood in the town centre. It states ‘When Merlin’s tree shall tumble down, then shall fall Carmarthen town’. Only a single branch of that ancient tree exists today housed permanently in Carmarthen Museum to keep the prophecy from coming true.
Look for the Lady of the Lake
There are many places in South West Wales that are associated with the story of King Arthur and Excalibur. Take for example, Llyn y Fan Fach in the Brecon Beacons in eastern Carmarthenshire. On misty mornings it’s easy to imagine the mythical scene as you take in this stunning landscape. According to local legend on the first Sunday in August you may see the lady rising from the water and combing her flowing hair.
Hear Merlin crying in the wind
Merlin’s Hill (in Welsh Alltyfyrddin), near Carmarthen, is an Iron Age hill fort dating back to 400 BC. Somewhere near here was a cave that has vanished over the passage of time, once Merlin’s home, later to become his prison, kept there forever by the enchantment of his sorceress lover.
Today there is a visitor centre on a working dairy farm at Alltyfyrddin where you can walk the nature trails up the hillside and experience the majestic views where Merlin once found inspiration. Some say you can still hear clanking chains and the moans of Merlin from his imprisonment on the hillside.